By Holly Isbister; photo by Wes Orshoski

As the sun rose higher in the afternoon sky, temperatures soared to over 100 degrees and concert organizers did what any right-minded, kind, and legally liable individuals would do in those circumstances--they gave away bottles of water for free, and kept city buses running onsite as quick cooling stations for people suffering from heat stroke. It's too bad performer Sara Quinn of Tegan and Sara didn't head the warnings that were everywhere; Quinn left the stage during the band's afternoon set several times due to nausea.

Other acts were less notably affected by the heat. A stunning Perry Ferrell (in a long-sleeved, collared, button-down shirt) strutted and fretted about his stage with his new band Satellite Party. But it was bass player Tony Kanal (of No Doubt fame) who stole the spotlight with his funk-rock bass riffs.

Afterwards, at the Budweiser Select stage, Ben Kweller proved once again why he is one of the most impressive young talents in the indie rock scene today. From his pitch-perfect voice to the way he propelled each piano or guitar chord purposefully on to the next, his style is polished yet raucous. "In Other Words," from Kweller's sophomore CD entitled Sha Sha, was a surprisingly sensitive and emotive moment for a festival of Lollapalooza's nature.

Arcade Fire, which performed shortly after Kweller's set ended, was one of the most anticipated and talked-about performances of the day. This band's ability to mix varied sounds -- romantic upright bass and violins with poppy, simplistic, thumping bass and drums--makes them a fun act to watch and dance to; it's no wonder they drew such a crowd against G. Love and Special Sauce.

With the heat beginning to wane and the evening hours setting in, I headed to grab a beer (as I am wont to do prior to seeing Widespread Panic) and contemplated how and why Widespread ever ended up on the festival bill. Chicago 's hipster-to-heady ratio is heavy on the former. With Soulive and Sound Tribe Sector 9 scheduled on the same day as Widespread, it would seem they could get a decent draw from the latter contingent. This was not the case, as both Widespread sets were predictably ignored by the majority of Chicago 's horn-rimmed glasses elite, and the heady audience turn-out was low. Later that night, Widespread battled with Death Cab for Cutie and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Death Cab. While fans could easily walk within 50 feet of the main stage for WSP, one couldn't even come close to approaching the sound board for DCFC. Both bands put on a formidable effort, with Widespread performing rollicking versions of "Visiting Day" and "Climb to Safety," and DCFC bringing their somber, tear-worthy lyrics to life during "New Year."

At the festival's close, the scorecard looked something like this: Chicago 's Grant Park 1, everywhere else on Saturday and Sunday, 0. Aside from the aforementioned noise interference issues, Lollapalooza organizers should applaud themselves for resurrecting one of the finest music festivals the summer has to offer. From the breathtaking views of the city skyline in Grant Park, to the thoughtful details of free water, cooling stations and oh yeah, incredible music, Lollapalooza was by and large a success.

The first day of Lollapalooza began Saturday morning under overcast skies in Chicago ’s Grant Park. For bleary-eyed concert-goers, who were already looking ragged by 2PM,

the stifling heat was relentless. That said, there was plenty of excitement on Saturday to make a trip to Chicago all worthwhile.

The festival site is wedged between The Field Museum and Millennium Park , with the city’s impressive skyline as its backdrop. Four stages in each corner of the park created a convenient walk from act to act; the downside of this was noise interference, which was an issue for each of the bands performing at the Parkways and Budweiser Select stages. But with the exception of Ambulance LTD and The Bravery (both acts performed at these smaller stages) the quality music was mostly concentrated on the larger stages at the south side of the site.

At 4:30 Cake took the stage to the largest crowd gathered thus far on Saturday. If they didn’t prove they were the best musicians and songwriters in the lineup, then they surely proved they were the brightest. Cake’s lyrics and stage banter were priceless, particularly “Rock and Roll Lifestyle,” a fitting anthem for Lollapalooza’s pricey tickets, food and beverages.

Following Cake was not-quite-retired Billy Idol. Idol and band didn’t disappoint a crowd hungry for their favorites; “Dancin’ With Myself,” “Rebel Yell,” and “White Wedding” all made the cut. At one point Idol even plastered his setlist to his sweaty chest and let a female fan peel it off. Now that’s rock and roll!

The Pixies and Weezer closed out the day in dramatic fashion—both bands were clearly the most deserving of the headlining spots for their huge sound and devoted following. But just as the Pixies were about to close their set (they had approximately 15 minutes left and were still playing) the strangest thing occurred. Perry Ferrell, who had been MC’ing the event, appeared on the other main stage, right next to where the Pixies were playing, and invited three scantily clad women he called “Lolla girls” to dance to “All That Jazz.” It would have been a moving tribute to the city, had Ferrell waited until the Pixies set was finished. Unfortunately all the audience got was a blurred Pixie jam with “All That Jazz” mixed in. It was never apparent why Farrell took that moment as the opportunity to bring out his burlesque show, but the crowd did not like it at all—many of them shouting at Farrell and groaning about the interruption.

Weezer saved the day, quite literally, with an inspired and rocking set. In front of the glow of their lit, winged logo, Rivers Cuomo and company played all the crowd’s favorites, including “Undone, Sweater Song,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Buddy Holly,” though the real highlight was a tune from Pinkerton entitled, “Why Bother.”